Bishop Sharon Zimmerman Rader, ecumenical officer for the United Methodist Council of Bishops, noted that acknowledging past difficulties is part of the process. “We believe this is a significant moment in all of our histories,” she said during a news conference preceding the celebration.

For the CME church, an outgrowth of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, this moment is one of lasting significance, said Bishop Thomas Hoyt Jr., who has a long history of involvement with United Methodists through the Pan-Methodist Commission and ecumenical organizations.

“To be in full communion is to be related to one of the great churches of American society and the world,” he declared.

“I believe the best for Methodism is yet before us,” added AME Bishop John White. “This full communion gives us an opportunity to make our witness around the world.”

The Rev. W. Robert Johnson III, top executive of the AMEZ church, which split from John Street United Methodist Church in 1796 “for reasons of injustice,” welcomed the chance to heal the relationship. “It is a long way from John Street Methodist Church in New York City to Tampa, Fla.,” he said.

There is a temptation to look at the new relationship of the United Methodist Church and smaller black Methodist denominations as a situation of the big fish swallowing the smaller fish, said United Methodist Bishop Alfred Norris, but that is not so. “In this case,” he explained, “the big fish and the little fish will be swimming together.”

Bishop Norris, who has led the Pan-Methodist Commission for the past two years, pointed out that his esteemed colleagues—Bishops Hoyt, White and Johnson—“are as much a part of the Methodist family as I am.”

The denominations, which already cooperate on issues such as children and poverty, will now have an opportunity to pursue a broader mission agenda together. “I think this will breathe new life into the commission itself,” added the Rev. Stephen Sidorak Jr., top executive of the United Methodist General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns.

But the “real work” happens at the local church and community level, the denominational leaders agreed.

Bishop Hoyt suggested the need for a “sacrament of the coffee cup” to build individual friendships and commit to finding ways to break down barriers and promote justice together.

Issues of race and class are not just sociological but theological, he said, because dealing with such issues “teaches us to get along together.”

The Rev. Peck, a retired clergy member of the New York Conference, is a freelance writer in Nashville, Tenn.

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2 Comments on "United Methodists join Pan-Methodist covenant"

The United Methodist Reporter wants to encourage lively conversation about The United Methodist Church and our articles in the belief that Christian conversation (what Wesley would call conferencing) is a means of grace. While we support passionate debate, we cannot allow language that demeans or demonizes others, and we reserve the right to delete any comment we believe to be harmful or inappropriate. We encourage all to remember that we are all broken and in need of Christ's grace, and that we all see through the glass darkly until that time we when reach full perfection in love. May your speech here be tempered with love, and reflection of the fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. After all, "There is no law against things like this." (Galatians 5:22-23)

Since 1999, I have been on the faculty of Hood Theological Seminary in Salisbury, NC. Hood is the only seminary in the United Sates that is sponsored and owned by the AMEZ Church. It has been approved by the United Methodist Senate since 1999 and about 40% of its student body is UMC. Therefore when our graduates are asked by the Board of Ordained Ministy if they will be comfortable serving in a racially inclusive church, their answer is, "That is a no-brainer; I go to Hood." In every class, in every chapel program, in every break, and on every… Read more »

Since we aren't talking about a merger, then most real ecumenical work is going to be done at the local church level. We already have an open table for Communion (except during demonsrations at General Conference) and pan-Methodists are already being appointed to United Methodist pulpits. So, what will the practical effect be?